Apollo 13 is a 1995 film which tells the true story of the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar mission. It stars Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell, Bill Paxton as Fred Haise, Kevin Bacon as Jack Swigert, Gary Sinise as Ken Mattingly, Ed Harris as Gene Krantz, and Kathleen Quinlan as Marylin Lovell.
The movie was adapted by William Broyles Jr and Al Reinert from the book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. It was directed by Ron Howard.
The film is notable for its technical accuracy: principals reported that the film is reasonably faithful to the facts of the mission but adds some tension between the astronauts for dramatic effect. All dialog between ground control and the astronauts was taken verbatim from actual transcripts and recordings. Scenes involving weightlessness were filmed aboard NASA's astronaut training aircraft which creates weightless conditions for short periods by performing a series of parabolic dives, making these scenes the first in a fiction film to feature acutal, rather than simulated, weightlessness.
It won Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ed Harris), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kathleen Quinlan), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Effects, Visual Effects, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
In 2002, Apollo 13 was re-released, in edited and modified form, as an IMAX film.
